A nickel for your time?
by Siriusly-mckinnon
Summary: 'you work at the convenience store near my house and I think you're super cute so I pay for my midnight snacks in all nickels so I can talk to you for an extra thirty seconds' - Bellarke


'you work at the convenience store near my house and I think you're super cute so I pay for my midnight snacks in all nickels so I can talk to you for an extra thirty seconds'

The first time it happened she genuinely did only have petty coins on her person. She was also, regretfully, puffy eyed and sleep deprived coming off a 13 hour study session in preparation for her in class exam. She strode purposefully to the snack aisle in her yoga pants tucked into what were realistically boot slippers but she felt she could argue they were budget uggs. She didn't even look at the checkout attendant as she dropped her items on the counter, too tired for her eyes to even focus properly.

It wasn't until he called out her total that she looked up and noticed how handsome he was. Lovely bronzed skin, dark eyes, and constellations of freckles across his face. He had dark curls she immediately wished she could get her hands in. She blushed realising how she looked in her ratty outfit and sleep deprived state.

He looked at her expectantly and called out her total again.

'Oh gosh I'm sorry' Clarke said, blushing even more furiously as she dug into the pockets of her hoodie. She came up with a fistful of coins and grimaced in apology and she lay them on the counter and started attempting to count through them.

He reached a hand out to sweep the coins towards himself and took over the counting. 'All part of the job' he smiled at her. She nearly stopped breathing. He was perfect.

'You're all set'. He said sliding the remaining coins over to her.

She let out a giggle, and then winced at the sound of it. She quickly gathered her purchases and practically fled the shop.

Once she had gotten home she replayed the interaction in her head and groaned with embarrassment. He must be new she thought, she definitely would have noticed someone like him before. She made an agreement with herself that she would go back, if only to erase his surely embarrassing impression of her and perhaps actually strike up a conversation instead of gaping at him like a fish.

It was nice, those few extra minutes she got to speak to him as he sifted through her assortment of coins. Feeling slightly guilty, she continued to pay in nickels, dimes and quarters to savour that extra bit of time with him. She knew she was borderline pathetic. Raven full body laughed when Clarke sheepishly told her about the cute checkout boy and her tactic to get a few extra minutes with him. She questioned why Clarke didn't just ask him out and Clarke honestly couldn't really say why herself. He was devastatingly handsome and it made her nervous. She made some excuse about study and having no time to Raven who rolled her eyes but let it slide and Clarke continued to pay in petty coins and harbour her embarrassing crush.

Clarke was surely drunk. Raven's Halloween party had been a roaring success and the nightclub afterwards, while full of creepers, had good music and cheap drinks which was a winning combination for Clarke. Being drunk was a good thing, it meant she wasn't focusing on the clack of her sparkly heels as she walked in the entrance to the convenience store. She did have the sense to pull down the frilly blue skirt she was wearing and make sure the top contained her chest adequately.

She click clacked over to soft drinks and picked up a six pack of some generic fizzy drink, knowing she'd need it in the morning. There was no one else in the store so she felt no embarrassment as she swayed to whatever song was playing softly on the speakers. She heard a laugh coming from the checkout area and as she looked up she spotted a familiar head of dark curls. She smiled widely and made her way over to pay.

As she approached she noticed the box of lollipops just next to the checkout and stopped in her tracks, staring intently.

The checkout attendant cleared his throat. 'Alright there Princess?'

'Princess?' she laughed before her faced turned solemn again and she faced the box of lollipops. 'I am mulling over a very serious lollipop purchase right now'

That got a laugh out of him. 'The outfit Princess, it's a good costume'

She touched the crown on her head self-consciously but she found the feeling passed quickly.

'Nope, I can't do it. I need your help Mr. Checkout man'. She turned on her heel, almost falling in the process, to look pleadingly at the gorgeous man.

'Uh… It's Bellamy actually. How can I help Princess?'

'I just can't decide. Do I get a red lolly or a green lolly, I'm feeling a red lolly but what if morning me wants a green lolly? What do I do then Bellamy?' She sighed heavily 'It's too difficult a decision'.

He laughed at her again. 'How about this princess, you buy the red one and I'll buy you the green one. You'll have an option in the morning then.'

She looked at him wide eyed and he found it absolutely adorable.

'You would do that for me. Just buy me a lollipop?' She said in disbelief.

He found it extremely amusing that she was so shocked over a lollipop that cost next to nothing, even for someone like him who was used to pinching every penny.

'Sure, you've brought a bit of life to an otherwise boring shift. Consider it a thank you.' He said smiling widely at her.

Of course, even his teeth were perfect she thought. She reached into the little purse she had brought with her and grimaced. She took out a handful of coins again and poured them into his waiting hand.

'Sorry, bars only give back handfuls of change'. She shuffled her feet a little.

He nodded and flashed her another quick smile and JESUS this was not good for her poor drunken heart. He quickly processed her order, minus the green lolly, and once he had that done put through the second lolly and reached into his pocket to pay for it himself.

She smiled at him, baring her teeth and he laughed. As she gathered her bits and pieces his smile dropped and a little crease appeared between his eyebrows.

'Are you going to be able to get home by yourself Princess? Is there someone coming to get you?'

'I live like two minutes away Bellamy. You could call me Clarke if you wanted to.'

'Clarke' he tested. 'I like princess better but I'll keep it in mind'

She nodded, almost dislodging the plastic crown on her head and set off for her apartment.

When she woke up in the morning, mouth dry and head fit to burst, she spied the green lolly on her bedside locker and smiled to herself.

Many a midnight trip to the store brought a familiarity between Clarke and Bellamy. He'd always shoot her a smile when he spotted her blonde hair above the shelves and fake annoyance when she spilled her coins into his hand each time. He often questioned why she was always in so late but learning she was pre-med he grimaced in sympathy and put a stop to that line of questioning. He became one of the best parts of her day.

This time however as she strolled into the shop just shy of 1am she was met with a serious faced Bellamy. She gathered her snacks and made her way over.

'Hey Bell, why the long face?' she said piling her purchases in front of him and readying her coin purse.

He just sat there with a furrowed brow, making no move to start scanning her products. 'Before I knew your name I used to call you the coin girl, you know because of the coin thing.' He stopped and looked at her, brows still squished together.

She nodded, not really knowing where this was going.

'I mentioned you a few times to the daytime guy, he never knew who I was talking about. Then I learned your name and I said it to him yesterday.'

Now it was Clarke looking confused. 'Bellamy I really don't know where you're going with this. Did I do something to the daytime guy?'

He sighed and ran his hand through his curls, momentarily distracting Clarke. 'No nothing like that. This is a stupid thing to even be talking about but he didn't know who you were at first because he said you always pay with notes.' His face cleared somewhat and he gave her a slight grin. 'Guess I was just wondering why you don't with me'

Her faced burned. She was actually convinced she had reached a new shade of red. 'Uh, I just-' she cut herself off with a sigh. 'It takes longer for you to serve me if I'm paying with coins' she mumbled shamefully.

He was still looking at her adorably confused and she decided then to just tell him about her stupid embarrassing method of spending time with him.

'Okay I promise I'm not as weird as this makes me sound. You're funny and really nice and I like talking to you so I just thought I could prolong the talking if you had to spend time counting. It's stupid…' she trailed off, looking and her feet as she shuffled them.

'And asking to get coffee or something never occurred to you?' Bellamy was clearly fighting a grin but she could see it in the lifts at the corner of his mouth.

'Don't laugh at me okay I was nervous and you're you and I'm just me and-'

'Clarke it's really not difficult to count out change, like at all. Yet I was taking an age counting yours every time' He was full on smiling at her now.

'Oh.' She was adding up the meaning of his words in her head. 'Well why didn't you ask ME out so' she huffed indignantly.

'Well you're you and I'm just me' he mimicked.

She glared at him and put her hands on her hips. 'Are you making fun of me?'

He lifted his hands to placate her. 'A little bit Princess, only because I'm happy.' His smile softened. 'I've been stupidly keen on you since you came in here with that stupid crown on your head'

She grinned at the memory. She grabbed a marker from the mess by the till and took his hand. She winked and wrote her number across his forearm, signing it off as Princess.

'You really do like me too?' she questioned as he started scanning what she'd brought over.

He nodded solemnly. 'Of course Princess, I don't buy lollies for just any girl.'


End file.
